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Vol.4 What PM Global Can Do

As 2009 starts, it is the beginning of new year. This world is in a so-called “once-in-a-century” financial crisis. Everyday, mass media broadcasts about the instability about employment. This new year was as tense as ever. Despite that, I lined up all my traditional new year events. Year end music TV program, year-crossing noodles, the first sunrise of the year, new years visit to the shrine…..
Speaking about the new year visit to the shrine, I drew a paper fortune. Lucky me! I got “middle luck (Chu-Kichi)” this year. Maybe because I am Japanese, I thought I am very lucky with  “middle luck.”  The paper fortune read as follows.  
“Have an unshakable heart like a unmoved rock covered with moss for a millennium.”
 
Fortunately there was a footnote that read “you should keep doing what you have done without question. Keep your mind without making a fuss. Do not have your finger in every pot. Constantly act in moderation.”
I was interested in the sentence “keep doing what you have done.” What does this mean for our PM Global?  When I explain our service to clients, I struggle with describing it with proper wording. Provide project management at clients’ site, IT consultation, and etc. I always try to explain using ordinary words. However, none of them express the way I like. We certainly manage “projects”. But, controlling a project is not our only work. We are IT related consultant. But, we do not provide IT architecture nor specific IT software support. These are not our sales points.
 
Then, what are we?
 
What we provide is professional service to jump start the project so-called “innovation.” There are so many methods to promote the change. In this column, I would like to introduce what we have been providing .
 
First of all, we seek problems in the field after we understand the purpose and goal of the innovation.  Usually, during innovation phase, there are conflicts, confusion, or disorientation at the site. A member of PM Global will nail down the reason that the on-site staff are confused and feel anxiety. We support by accurately describing with clear language and share that information about problem. To avoid conflict at the site, we are sensitive to the office hierarchy. And thus, do not push the innovation. We identify the root of problem.
 
From that, we seek countermeasures together with on-site staff. Of course, it is not so easy for staff to accept the new process. It is also nearly impossible for top managers to instruct details in the real case. Even though we provide the innovation, ultimately the staff need to create a new process on their own. Usually, people are expecting “improvement” instead of “innovation” in the field.  However, once it is under way, “innovation” is required.  Innovation is never easy and can take a lot of time. It requires patience. PM Global members corresponds it with a lot of capacity because it is critical point in the project.  
 
Finally, we ask for the understanding of top management as advocates regarding the countermeasures from the staff to install innovation. Innovation must always be fully implemented. We submit the countermeasure worth calling “innovation” or “transformation.”
 
To illustrate this point, a common problem is the migration from old IT system to new IT system. At the site, people tend to take overcautious plan to avoid confusion. However, project management wants to complete migration as fast as possible. We carefully listen to the opinions of the proponents of the old system as to gain useful information that can be applied to the new system. In doing so, we can inspire those in favor of the old system to welcome the new system. Of equal importance is translation of technical words used on site into strategic words common to the language of top management. This requires leadership. PM Global members act as professionals to lead projects.   
 
In the end, our mission is taking on the role of the leader who can facilitate the many changes needed by understanding the situation that exist at the site between operation and innovation. As you clearly evident, work goes beyond nearly controlling the project. 
Kogure (EN: Uemura)